NAND Flash Memory Controller Exporting a NAND Interface

ABSTRACT

A NAND controller for interfacing between a host device and a flash memory device (e.g. a NAND flash memory device) fabricated on a flash die is disclosed. In some embodiments, the presently disclosed NAND controller includes electronic circuitry fabricated on a controller die, the controller die being distinct from the flash die, a first interface (e.g. a host-type interface, for example, a NAND interface) for interfacing between the electronic circuitry and the flash memory device, and a second interface (e.g. a flash-type interface) for interfacing between the controller and the host device, wherein the second interface is a NAND interface. According to some embodiments, the first interface is an inter-die interface. According to some embodiments, the first interface is a NAND interface. Systems including the presently disclosed NAND controller are also disclosed. Methods for assembling the aforementioned systems, and for reading and writing data using NAND controllers are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/326,336, filed Jan. 6, 2006, which is hereby incorporated byreference and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/720,098, filed Sep. 26, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to NAND flash memory controllers thatexport to the host computer the same type of interface that is exportedby a standard NAND flash memory device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Single Bit and Multi-Bit Flash Memory Cells

Flash memory devices have been known for many years. Typically, eachmemory cell within a flash memory device stores one bit of information.The traditional way to store a bit in a flash memory cell has been bysupporting two states of the memory cell. One state represents a logical“0” and the other state represents a logical “1”.

In a flash memory cell, the two states are implemented by having afloating gate situated above the cell's channel (the area connecting thesource and drain elements of the cell's transistor), and having twovalid states for the amount of charge stored within the floating gate.Typically, one state is with zero charge in the floating gate and is theunwritten state of the cell after being erased (commonly defined torepresent the “1” state) and the other state is with some amount ofnegative charge in the floating gate (commonly defined to represent the“0” state). Having negative charge in the gate causes the thresholdvoltage of the cell's transistor (i.e. the voltage that has to beapplied to the transistor's control gate in order to cause thetransistor to conduct) to increase. It is possible to read the storedbit by checking the threshold voltage of the cell. If the thresholdvoltage is in the higher state then the bit value is “0” and if thethreshold voltage is in the lower state then the bit value is “1”.Actually there is no need to accurately read the cell's thresholdvoltage. All that is needed is to correctly identify in which of the twostates the cell is currently located. For this purpose it is sufficientto compare the threshold voltage of the cell to a reference voltage thatis between the two states, and to determine if the cell's thresholdvoltage is below or above the reference value.

FIG. 1A (prior art) shows graphically how this works. Specifically, FIG.1A shows a distribution of the threshold voltages of a large populationof cells. Because the cells in a flash device are not exactly identicalin their characteristics and behavior (due to, for example, smallvariations in impurity concentrations or defects in the siliconstructure), applying the same programming operation to all of the cellsdoes not cause all of the cells to have exactly the same thresholdvoltage. Instead, the threshold voltage is distributed as shown in FIG.1A. Cells storing a value of “1” typically have a negative thresholdvoltage, such that most of the cells have a threshold voltage close tothe central voltage value of the left peak (labeled 1) of FIG. 1A, withfewer cells having threshold voltages lower or higher than the centralvoltage of the left peak. Similarly, cells storing a value of “0”typically have a positive threshold voltage, such that most of the cellshave a threshold voltage close to the central voltage of the right peak(labeled 0) of FIG. 1A, with fewer cells having threshold voltages loweror higher than the central voltage of the right peak.

In recent years, a new kind of flash device has appeared on the market,using “Multi Level Cells” (MLC). The term “Multi-Level Cell” ismisleading because flash memory with a single bit per cell uses multiplei.e. two levels, as described above. Therefore, the term “Single BitCell” (SBC) is used hereinafter to refer to a memory cell of two levelsand the term “Multi-Bit Cell” (MBC) is used hereinafter to refer to amemory cell of more than two levels, i.e. more than one bit per cell.The most common MBC flash memories at present are ones with two bits percell, and therefore examples are given below using such MBC memories. Itshould however be understood that the present invention is equallyapplicable to flash memory devices that support more than two bits percell. A single MBC cell storing two bits of information is in one offour different states. As the cell's “state” is represented by thecell's threshold voltage, an MBC cell supports four different validranges for the cell's threshold voltage. FIG. 1B (prior art) shows thethreshold voltage distribution for a typical MBC cell of two bits percell. As expected, FIG. 1B has four peaks, each peak corresponding toone state. As for the SBC, each state is actually a voltage range andnot a single voltage. When reading the cell's contents, the cell'sthreshold voltage must be correctly identified in a definite voltagerange. For a prior art example of an MBC flash device see U.S. Pat. No.5,434,825 to Harari that is included by reference for all purposes as iffully set forth herein.

A cell designed for MBC operation e.g. in four states is typicallyoperable as an SBC cell with two states. For example, Conley et al. inU.S. Pat. No. 6,426,893 incorporated by reference for all purposes as iffully set forth herein, disclosed the use of both MBC and SBC modeswithin the same device, and selecting certain parts of the device tooperate with highest density in MBC mode, while other parts are used inSBC mode to provide better performance.

MBC devices provide a significant cost advantage. An MBC device with twobits per cell requires about half the area of a silicon wafer than anSBC of similar capacity. However, there are drawbacks to using MBCflash. Average read and write times of MBC memories are longer than ofSBC memories, resulting in worse performance. Also, the reliability ofMBC is lower than SBC. The differences between the threshold voltageranges in MBC are much smaller than in SBC. Thus, a disturbance in thethreshold voltage (e.g. leakage of stored charge causing a thresholdvoltage drift or interference from operating neighboring cells) that areinsignificant in SBC because of the large gap between the two states,may cause an MBC cell to move from one state to another, resulting in anerroneous bit. The end result is a lower performance specification ofMBC cells in terms of data retention time or the endurance of the deviceto many write/erase cycles.

NAND Flash Memory Devices

Flash memory devices are typically divided into NOR devices and NANDdevices, the names being derived from the way the individual memorycells are interconnected within the cells array. NOR devices are randomaccess—a host computer accessing a NOR flash device can provide thedevice any address on its address pins and immediately retrieve datastored in that address on the device's data pins. This is much like SRAMor EPROM memories operate. NAND devices, on the other hand, are notrandom access but serial access. It is not possible to access any randomaddress in the way described above for NOR—instead the host has to writeinto the device a sequence of bytes which identifies both the type ofthe requested command (e.g. read, write, erase, etc.) and the address tobe used for that command. The address identifies a page (the smallestchunk of flash memory that can we written in a single operation) or ablock (the smallest chunk of flash memory that can be erased in a singleoperation), and not a single byte or word. It is true that the read andwrite command sequences contain addresses of single bytes or words, butin reality the NAND flash device always reads from the memory cells andwrites to the memory cells complete pages. After a page of data is readfrom the array into a buffer inside the device, the host can access thedata bytes or words one by one by serially clocking them out using astrobe signal.

Because of the non-random access of NAND devices, they cannot be usedfor running code directly from the flash memory. This is contrary to NORdevices which support direct code execution (typically called “eXecutionIn Place” or “XIP”). Therefore NOR devices are the ones typically usedfor code storage. However, NAND devices have advantages that make themvery useful for data storage. NAND devices are cheaper than NOR devicesof the same bit capacity, or equivalently—NAND devices provide many morebits of storage than NOR devices for the same cost. Also, the write anderase performance of NAND devices is much faster than of NOR devices.These advantages make the NAND flash memory technology the technology ofchoice for storing data.

NAND Interface Protocols

A typical SBC NAND device is Toshiba TC58NVG1S3B that provides 2 Gbit ofstorage. A typical MBC NAND device is Toshiba TC58NVG2D4B that provides4 Gbit of storage. The data sheets of both devices are incorporated byreference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

As can be seen from the aforementioned data sheets, those two NANDdevices have a similar interface. These NAND devices use the sameelectrical signals for coordinating commands and data transfer betweenthe NAND flash device and a host device. Those signals include datalines and a few control signals—ALE (Address Latch Enable), CLE (CommandLatch Enable), WE (Write Enable), and more. The SBC and MBC devices arenot fully identical in their behavior—the time it takes to write an MBCpage is much longer than time it takes to write an SBC page. However,the electrical signals used in both devices and their functionalitiesare the same. This type of interface protocol is known in the art as“NAND interface”. Even though the “NAND interface protocol” has not, todate, been formally standardized by a standardization body, themanufacturers of NAND flash devices all follow the same protocol forsupporting the basic subset of NAND flash functionality. This is done sothat customers using NAND devices within their electronic products coulduse NAND devices from any manufacturer without having to tailor theirhardware or software for operating with the devices of a specificvendor. It is noted that even NAND vendors that provide extrafunctionality beyond this basic subset of functionality ensure that thebasic functionality is provided in order to provide compatibility withthe protocol used by the other vendors, at least to some extent.

In this application the term “NAND Interface protocol” (or “NANDinterface” in short) means an interface protocol between an initiatingdevice and a responding device that in general follows the protocolbetween a host device and a NAND flash device for the basic read, writeand erase operations, even if it is not fully compatible with all timingparameters, not fully compatible with respect to other commandssupported by NAND devices, or contains additional commands not supportedby NAND devices. In other words, the term “NAND interface” refers to anyinterface protocol that uses sequences of transferred bytes equivalentin functionality to the sequences of bytes used when interfacing withthe Toshiba TC58NVG1S3B NAND device for reading (opcode 00H), writing(opcode 80H) and erasing (opcode 60H), and also uses control signalsequivalent in functionality to the CLE, ALE, CE, WE and RE signals ofthe above NAND device.

It is noted that the “NAND interface protocol” is not symmetric. Thus,it is always the host device which initiates the interaction over a NANDinterface, and never the flash device.

A given device (e.g. a controller, flash device, host device, etc.) issaid to comprise, include or have a “NAND interface” if the given deviceincludes elements (e.g. hardware, software, firmware or any combinationthereof) necessary for supporting the NAND interface protocol (e.g. forinteracting with another device using a NAND interface protocol).

An interface (e.g. a NAND interface or an interface associated withanother protocol) of a given device (e.g. a controller device) may be a“host-side interface” (e.g. the given device is adapted to interact witha host device using the host-side interface) or the interface of thegiven device may be a “flash memory device-side interface” (e.g. thegiven device is adapted to interact with a flash memory device using theflash memory device-side interface). The terms “flash memory device-sideinterface”, “flash device-side interface” and “flash-side interface” areused herein interchangeably.

These terms (i.e. “host-side interface” and “flash device-sideinterface”) should not be confused with the terms “host-type interface”and “flash-type interface” which are terminology used herein todifferentiate between the two sides of a NAND interface protocol, asthis protocol is not symmetric. Furthermore, because it is always thehost that initiates the interaction, we note that a given device is saidto have a “host-type interface” if the device includes the necessaryhardware and/or software for implementing the host side of the NANDinterface protocol (i.e. for presenting a NAND host, and initiating theNAND protocol interaction) Similarly, because the flash device neverinitiates the interaction, we note that a given device is said to have a“flash-type interface” if the device includes the necessary hardwareand/or software for implementing the flash side of the NAND protocol(i.e. for presenting a NAND flash device).

Typically, “host-type interfaces” (i.e. those which play the role of thehost) are “flash device-side interfaces” (i.e. they interact with flashdevices or with hardware emulating a flash device) while “flashdevice-type interfaces” (i.e. those which play the role of the flashdevice) are typically “hosts-side interfaces” (i.e. they interact withhost devices or with hardware emulating a host device). In thisapplication the term “host device” (or “host” in short) means any devicethat has processing power and is capable of interfacing with a flashmemory device. A host device may be a personal computer, a PDA, acellular phone, a game console, etc.

Typically, NAND devices are relatively difficult to interface and workwith. One reason for that is the relatively complex (compared to NORdevices) protocol for accessing them, as described above. Anotherdifficulty is the existence of errors in the data read from NANDdevices, In contrast, NOR devices that can be assumed to always returncorrect data. This inherent non-reliability of NAND devices requires theuse of Error Detection Codes (EDC) and Error Correction Codes (ECC).

Manufacturers of SBC NAND flash devices typically advise users to applyan Error Correction Code capable of correcting 1 bit error in each pageof 512 bytes of data But data sheets of MBC NAND flash devices typicallyadvise applying an ECC capable of correcting 4 bit errors in each pageof 512 bytes of data. For pages of size 2048 bytes such as in the caseof the NAND devices mentioned above (known as “large block devices”),the suggestion is to apply error correction per each portion of 512bytes of the page. In this application the term “N-bit ECC” refers to anECC scheme capable of correcting N bit errors in 512 bytes of data,regardless if the 512 bytes are the size of one page, less than onepage, or more than one page.

NAND Controllers

Because of those complexities of NAND devices, it is the common practiceto use a “NAND controller” for controlling the use of a NAND device inan electronic system. It is true that it is possible to operate and usea NAND device directly by a host device with no intervening NANDcontroller, and there are systems that actually operate like this.However, this architecture suffers from many disadvantages. First, thehost has to individually manipulate each one of the NAND device'scontrol signals (e.g. CLE or ALE), which is cumbersome andtime-consuming for the host. Second, the support of EDC and ECC puts asevere burden on the host parity bits have to be calculated for eachpage written, and error detection calculations (and sometimes also errorcorrection calculations) must be performed by the host. All this makessuch “no controller” architecture relatively slow and inefficient.

Using a NAND controller significantly simplifies the host's tasks whenusing the NAND device. The processor interacts with the controller usinga protocol that is much more convenient to use—a request for writing apage may be sent as a single command code followed by address and data,instead of having to bother with the complex sequencing of control linesand NAND command codes. The controller then converts the host-controllerprotocol into the equivalent NAND protocol sequences, while the host isfree to do other tasks (or just to wait for the NAND operation tocomplete, if so desired).

There are several options in the prior art regarding the location wherethe NAND controller resides within the system. A first approach is shownin FIG. 2. Here the NAND controller 114 is physically located within thehost processor 112A of the host device 110A. If the host processor 112Ais implemented as a single die, then the controller 114 is incorporatedon the same die. This is for example the case in some of the OMAPprocessors manufactured and sold by Texas Instruments. In a system builtusing this architecture the host processor typically interacts with theNAND controller using some proprietary protocol, as the interaction isinternal to the host processor and there is no benefit in using astandard protocol.

A second prior art approach is shown in FIGS. 3A-3B. Here the NANDcontroller 116 is a separate physical element, residing between the hostprocessor 112B of the host 110B and the NAND device 120A. This is forexample the case in portable USB Flash Drives (UFDs), such as theDiskOnKey manufactured and sold by M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers, wherethere is a NAND controller 116 packaged inside the UFD and interactingusing a device side NAND interface 124 with the NAND device 120A on oneside and with the host processor 112B on the other side (using a hostside USB interface 122 which uses the USB protocol). In a system builtusing this architecture the host processor typically interacts with theNAND controller using a standard protocol such as USB or ATA, as theinteraction is external to the processor and it is more convenient touse standard protocols that are already supported by the processor forother purposes.

Note that according to the terminology previously defined, NANDinterface 124 is a “flash memory device side NAND interface” (i.e.adapted to interact with NAND flash device 120A) but at the same timeNAND interface 124 is also a host-type NAND interface (i.e. adapted toinitiate the NAND protocol interaction).

A third prior art approach is shown in FIG. 4. Here the NAND controller118 is physically located within the NAND device 120B. The flash deviceand the controller may even be implemented on the same die. This is forexample the case in some of the MDOC storages devices manufactured andsold by M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers and in the OneNAND devicesmanufactured and sold by Samsung Electronics. In a system built usingthis architecture the host processor 112B typically interacts with theNAND controller using either a standard protocol such as USB or asemi-standard protocol as is the case in the MDOC and OneNAND examplesmentioned above.

We can deduce from the above that a prior art stand-alone NANDcontroller (that is not integrated with neither the NAND device nor thehost processor) will typically have some standard interface on its hostside, and a NAND interface on its flash memory device side (for example,see FIG. 3B). Indeed one can find in the market NAND controllersexporting many interface types—USB, SD (SecureDigital), MMC(MultiMediaCard), and more. However, one cannot currently find astand-alone NAND controller that exports NAND interface to the host.Indeed, this is reasonable to expect—a host processor that does not havebuilt-in NAND support and requires an external controller for thatpurpose, typically does not have a NAND interface and cannot directlyconnect to a device exporting a NAND interface and therefore has no useof a controller with host-side NAND interface. On the other hand, a hostprocessor that has built-in NAND support typically also includes abuilt-in NAND controller and can connect directly to a NAND device, andtherefore has no need for an external NAND controller.

The prior art described above leaves one problem unsolved. Assume thatthere is a host processor incorporating a built-in NAND controller and aNAND interface as in FIG. 2. The built-in controller is designed to workwith NAND devices of a certain level of reliability. This is so becausea NAND controller provides a certain level of error detection andcorrection, and therefore cannot support NAND devices with lowerreliability. For example, a NAND controller having a 1-bit ECC can workwith SBC NAND devices that are specified by their manufacturers torequire only this level of error correction. Such controller cannot workwith two-bit-per-cell MBC NAND devices because they require 4-bit ECC,and therefore some data might not be read correctly into the processor.Similarly, a NAND controller providing 4-bit ECC can work with currenttwo-bit-per-cell MBC NAND, but will not work with next generation MBCNAND devices that will most probably require a higher level of ECCcapability.

This is so because future MBC NAND devices are expected to be lessreliable than current MBC devices and to require a much stronger ECCcapability. The reasons for the reduced reliability and increased errorrate are twofold:

-   -   a. The process used for manufacturing NAND devices is        continuously being improved to yield smaller memory cells. While        a few years ago NAND devices used 0.4 micron process, currently        they use 90 nm and 70 nm technology, and this shrinking trend is        expected to continue. With shrinking dimensions of the memory        cells comes lower reliability, as the small dimensions make the        cells more sensitive to physical effects and phenomena that        previously were not important.    -   b. When MBC cells with more than two bits per cell will become        commercially available, they will necessarily be much less        reliable than SBC cells and two-bit-per-cell MBC cells. The        larger number of states that have to be represented by the        cell's threshold voltage imply that the margins between states        are smaller and even smaller disturbances and drifts result in        incorrect reading of data. This effect could already be        witnessed in the comparison between SLC and two-bit-per-cell        MBC, where the ECC requirements increased from 1-bit ECC to        4-bit ECC.

Returning now to the host processor 112A with the built-in NANDcontroller 114, suppose the controller 114 supports only 1-bit ECC. Thenthis processor might not be able to use MBC NAND even though this ishighly desirable because of the MBC NAND lower cost. If the MBC NAND isconnected to the NAND interface of the built-in controller of theprocessor, which might be the only way to connect it to the processor,then the MBC NAND generates too many errors for the limited-capabilityECC of the built-in controller to correct.

Similarly, if the built-in controller supports 4-bit ECC, it can useboth SLC and two-bit-per-cell MBC NAND. But when NAND devices with lowerreliability appear in the market, the processor is not able to benefitfrom their lower price because its built-in controller is not able toprovide the required level of error correction.

Therefore we see that the state of the prior art does not provide a goodsolution to the problem of benefiting from the cost advantage of a newNAND device, while using a host processor incorporating a built-in NANDcontroller designed to support a previous generation of NAND devices.

There is an ongoing need for devices and methods that providecompatibility between a host device having an onboard NAND controllerand successive generations of NAND flash memory devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned needs are satisfied by several aspects of the presentinvention.

It is now disclosed for the first time a controller for interfacingbetween a host device and a flash memory device (e.g. a NAND flashmemory device) fabricated on a flash die. The presently disclosedcontroller includes (a) electronic circuitry fabricated on a controllerdie, the controller die being distinct from the flash die, (b) a firstinterface (for example, a host-type interface) for interfacing betweenthe electronic circuitry and the flash memory device (e.g. the NANDflash memory device), and (c) a second interface (for example, aflash-type interface) for interfacing between the controller and thehost device, wherein the second interface is a NAND interface.

According to some embodiments, the first interface is an inter-dieinterface.

According to some embodiments, the first interface is a NAND interface.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed controllerfurther includes (d) an error correction module for providing errorcorrection for data received through one of the first and secondinterface.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed controllerfurther includes (d) at least one additional host-side interface forinterfacing with the host device.

It is now disclosed for the first time a data storage system including(a) a flash memory device fabricated on a flash die, and (b) thepresently disclosed NAND controller, where the controller is operativeto communicate with the flash memory device through the first interface.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed system furtherincludes (c) a common packaging, wherein the flash memory device and thecontroller are both provided within the common packaging.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed system furtherincludes (c) separate respective packagings, wherein each of the flashmemory device and the controller is provided within a respectivepackaging.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed system furtherincludes (c) a printed circuit board on which the flash memory deviceand the controller are mounted, wherein the flash die is directlymounted on the printed circuit board without a package.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed system furtherincludes (c) a printed circuit board on which the flash memory deviceand the controller are mounted, wherein the controller die is directlymounted on the printed circuit board without a package.

It is now disclosed for the first time a data storage system including(a) a host device, (b) a flash memory device fabricated on a flash die,and (c) the presently disclosed NAND controller operative to communicatewith both the flash memory device through the first interface and withthe host device through the second interface.

It is now disclosed a method of writing data from a host deviceincluding the steps of: (a) providing a flash memory device fabricatedon a flash die and a controller fabricated on a controller die, theflash die being distinct from the controller die, (b) issuing a writecommand from the host device to the controller according to a NANDinterface protocol, and (c) issuing a write command from the controllerto the flash memory device according to a NAND interface protocol.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed method furtherincludes the step of (d) calculating parity bits by the controller.

It is now disclosed a method of reading data to a host device includingthe steps of: (a) providing a flash memory device fabricated on a flashdie and a controller fabricated on a controller die, the flash die beingdistinct from the controller die, (b) issuing a read command from thehost device to the controller according to a NAND interface protocol,and (c) issuing a read command from the controller to the flash memorydevice according to a NAND interface protocol.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed method furtherincludes the steps of (d) retrieving the data from the flash memorydevice to the controller, (e) retrieving parity bits associated with theretrieved data from the flash memory device to the controller, (f)correcting the retrieved data according to the retrieved parity bits,thereby generating corrected data, and (g) retrieving the corrected datafrom the controller to the host device.

It is now disclosed for the first time a method of creating a datastorage system including the steps of (a) providing a flash memorydevice fabricated on a flash die, (b) providing the presently disclosedNAND controller, and (c) deploying the flash controller to the flashmemory device such that the flash controller is operative to communicatewith the flash memory device through the first interface.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed method furtherincludes the step of (d) packaging the flash controller and the flashmemory device within a single package.

According to some embodiments, the flash memory device and the flashcontroller reside within separate respective packages, and the deployingincludes engaging the respective packages to each other.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed method furtherincludes the step of (d) mounting the flash memory device and thecontroller onto a printed circuit board, wherein the mounting includesdirectly mounting the flash memory die onto the printed circuit boardwithout a package.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed method furtherincludes the step of (d) mounting the flash memory device and thecontroller onto a printed circuit board, wherein the mounting includesdirectly mounting the controller die onto the printed circuit boardwithout a package.

According to some embodiments, the presently disclosed method furtherincludes the step of (d) deploying the data storage system to a hostdevice such that the flash controller is operative to communicate withthe host device through the second interface.

These and further embodiments will be apparent from the detaileddescription and examples that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1B provide a graphical illustration of distributions ofthresholds voltages of a large population of memory cells (prior art).

FIG. 2 provides a block diagram of a prior art system including a hostdevice and a NAND flash device.

FIG. 3A provides a block diagram of a prior art system including a hostdevice, a NAND controller and a NAND flash device.

FIG. 3B provides a block diagram of a prior art NAND controller having aUSB interface on the host side and a NAND interface on the flash memorydevice side.

FIG. 4 provides a block diagram of a prior art system including a hostdevice and a NAND flash device.

FIG. 5A provides a block diagram of a NAND controller having a NANDinterface on the host side and a NAND interface on the flash memorydevice side in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5B provides a block diagram of a system including a host device,the NAND controller of FIG. 5A, and a NAND flash device in accordancewith exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary die configuration of the exemplarysystem described in FIG. 5B.

FIG. 6B illustrates an exemplary configuration of the exemplary systemdescribed in FIG. 5B where the NAND controller and the NAND flash devicereside within a single multi-chip package.

FIG. 6C illustrates an exemplary configuration of the exemplary systemdescribed in FIG. 5B where the NAND controller and the NAND flash devicereside within separate respective packages.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart describing a method wherein a host writes datato a NAND storage device via an external NAND controller.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart describing a method wherein a host reads datafrom a NAND storage device 120 via an external NAND controller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described in terms of specific,example embodiments. It is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the example embodiments disclosed. It should also beunderstood that not every feature of the controllers, systems includingcontrollers, and methods of reading and data described is necessary toimplement the invention as claimed in any particular one of the appendedclaims. Various elements and features of devices are described to fullyenable the invention. It should also be understood that throughout thisdisclosure, where a process or method is shown or described, the stepsof the method may be performed in any order or simultaneously, unless itis clear from the context that one step depends on another beingperformed first.

The present inventor is disclosing for the first time a new type of NANDcontroller, characterized by the fact that the interface it exports tothe host side is a NAND interface. In some embodiments, this presentlydisclosed controller has NAND interfaces on both sides—on the flashmemory device side, where the controller plays the role of a hosttowards the NAND device, and on the host device side, where thecontroller plays the role of a NAND device towards the host.

For the purposes of this disclosure, a “NAND flash memory device” isdefined as electronic circuitry including a plurality of NAND flashmemory cells and any necessary control circuitry (e.g. circuitry forproviding a flash-type interface) for storing data within the NAND flashmemory cells. It is noted that the “NAND flash memory device” does notnecessarily have its own dedicated housing, and may reside with another“device” such as a controller within a single housing. In someembodiments, the “NAND flash memory device” is directly mounted onto aprinted circuit board without any packing.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the controller includes an errorcorrection capability that is sufficient for correcting the many errorsof a lower-reliability NAND device. Because these errors are correctedby the controller, the controller can present to the host a flash devicehaving no errors at all, or having a smaller number of errors—smallenough for the error correction capability of the host's built-in NANDcontroller to handle.

Attention is now called to FIG. 5A, which provides a schematic blockdiagram of a controller in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention. Controller 130 includes a flash memory device-sideNAND interface 142 for interfacing to a NAND flash device. Furthermore,it is noted that flash memory device-side NAND interface 142 is also ahost-type NAND interface (i.e. adapted to initiate the interaction overthe NAND interface, and to present a host device to a NAND flashdevice).

The controller 130 also includes a host side NAND interface 144 forinterfacing to a host that supports a NAND interface protocol. This hostside NAND interface is also a flash memory-type NAND interface (e.g. thecontroller 130 is adapted to present to the host a NAND flash memorystorage device). The controller may optionally include one or moreadditional host-side interfaces 146, for interfacing the controller tohosts using non-NAND interfaces, such as USB or MMC interfaces.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the controller further includes an ECC module 132for detecting and correcting all or some of the errors in the dataretrieved from the NAND device through device-side interface 142. TheECC module 132 may include hardware, software, firmware or anycombination thereof. The ECC module 132 may correct all errors, in whichcase the NAND controller 130 exports to the host an error-free NANDdevice. Alternatively, the ECC module 132 may correct only some of theerrors found in the data retrieved from the NAND device through theflash memory device-side NAND interface 142.

In one example, the NAND device may have a reliability that requires4-bit ECC, and the ECC module 142 corrects enough of the errors toincrease the data reliability up to the level that enables a 1-bit ECCmodule in the host's built-in NAND controller to handle the data.

It is noted that NAND controller 130 may optionally also include one ormore modules 134 (e.g. including hardware, software, firmware or anycombination thereof) for providing other functionality, such asencryption functionality or address mapping that maps logical flashaddresses received from the host into physical flash addresses sent tothe flash device.

Attention is now called to FIG. 5B which shows a schematic block diagramof an exemplary system including the external NAND controller 130 (e.g.a controller separate from the host device) described in FIG. 5A.Through device side NAND interface 142 the external NAND controller 130interfaces with NAND flash device 120A. Through host side NAND interface144, the NAND controller 130 interfaces with host device 110A.

One should note that the way external controller 130 interfaces throughthe two NAND interfaces 142 and 144 is not identical. The NAND interfaceprotocol is not symmetrical—there is an initiator side that initiatesthe transactions (“host-type” according to the previously definedterminology) and there is a responding side that only responds to theinitiating signals (“flash-type” according to the previously definedterminology).

Using device side NAND interface 142, external NAND controller 130 actsas the host-type part of the NAND interface protocol and the NAND device130 acts as the flash-type part of the NAND interface protocol. Usinghost side interface 144, external controller 130 acts as the flash-typepart of the NAND interface protocol and host 110A acts as the host-typepart of the NAND interface protocol.

Attention is now called to FIG. 6A which shows an exemplary dieconfiguration of the exemplary system described in FIG. 5A. Thus, it isnoted that the NAND controller 130 includes electronic circuitry 135fabricated on a controller die 131 while the NAND flash device 120Aincludes electronic circuitry 137 fabricated on a flash die 133. Thecontroller die 131 and the flash die 133 are distinct dies.

It is noted that elements within the NAND controller 130 as described inFIG. 5A (i.e. the ECC module 132, the flash-type NAND interface 144, thehost-type NAND interfaces) are implemented at least in part by thecontroller electronic circuitry 135 residing on the controller die.

The interface 142 between the controller electronic circuitry 135 andthe flash electronic circuitry 137 is an “inter-die” interface. As usedherein, an “inter-die interface” (e.g. an inter-die NAND interface) isoperative to interface between two distinct units of electroniccircuitry residing on distinct dies (e.g. to provide the necessaryphysical and logical infrastructure for the distinct units of electroniccircuitry to communicate with each other, for example, using one or morespecific protocols). Thus, the inter-die interface includes thenecessary physical elements (pads, output and input drivers, etc) forinterfacing between the two distinct units of electronic circuitryresiding on separate dies.

According to some embodiments, an inter-die interface may interfacebetween electronic circuitry fabricated on two distinct dies that arepackaged in a common package. This example is illustrated in FIG. 6B,wherein both the NAND controller 130 and the NAND flash device 120Areside within a common multi-chip package 139.

Alternatively, the inter-die interface may interface between electroniccircuitry fabricated on two distinct dies packaged in distinct packages(for example, where each die is packaged in its own package). Thisexample is illustrated in FIG. 6C, wherein the NAND controller 130 andthe NAND flash device 120A reside in separate respective packages. Inparticular, the NAND controller 130 resides within, controller package141, while the NAND flash device 120A resides within flash package 143.Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 6C, interface 142 is an “inter-packageinterface.”

It is noted that the examples where the dies reside in a common package(for example, as shown in FIG. 6A) and where the dies reside in separatepackages (for example, as shown in FIG. 6B) are not the only possibleconfigurations.

Thus, alternatively, in some embodiments, the inter-die interface mayinterface between electronic circuitry fabricated on two distinct dies,where one or both of these dies has no package at all. For example, inmany applications, due to a need to conserve space, memory dies areprovided (e.g. mounted, for example, directly mounted) on boards with nopackaging at all. Thus, in one example, it is noted that in the newgeneration of memory cards for phones, memory dies are often mounted onboards with no packaging at all. As used herein, a die which is“directly mounted” onto a printed circuit board is mounted on theprinted circuit board without being packaged first.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart describing a method wherein a host 110A (e.g.a host including a NAND controller 114 within the device) writes data(e.g. a page of data) to a NAND storage device 120A via an external NANDcontroller 130. As shown in FIG. 7, the host 110A issues 410 a writecommand to the external controller 130 (e.g. a write command issuedusing the NAND interface protocol, including command bytes, addressbytes and data bytes). The host 110A is not necessarily aware of thefact it is issuing the command to a controller 130, and may assume it isinterfacing with a standard NAND flash storage device of the type it iscapable of handling.

The NAND controller 130 receives the write command issued by the host(e.g. via the host-side NAND interface 144). After receiving the writecommand, the controller calculates ECC parity bits 420 (e.g. using ECCmodule 132) corresponding to the data bytes, and issues 430 a writecommand to the NAND device (e.g. via the flash memory device sideinterface 142). Again, the command is issued according to the NANDinterface protocol, including command bytes, address bytes and databytes that contain both the host's data bytes and the corresponding ECCparity bits. The NAND flash storage device is not necessarily aware thatit received the command indirectly via the NAND controller 130 and notdirectly from the host device 110A. In step 440 the NAND flash storagedevice 120A stores the data bytes it received into the non-volatilememory cells, thus fulfilling the host's 110A request.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart describing a method wherein a host 110A (e.g. ahost including a NAND controller 114 within the device) reads data (e.g.a page of data) from a NAND storage device 120A via an external NANDcontroller 130. Thus, the host 110A issues 410 a read command to theexternal controller 130 (e.g. a read command issued using the NANDinterface protocol, including command bytes and address bytes). As inthe write command above, the host 110A is not necessarily aware of thefact it is issuing the command to an external controller 130, and mayassume it is interfacing with a standard NAND device of the type it iscapable of handling.

The external NAND controller 130 receives the read command issued by thehost (e.g. via the host-side NAND-interface 144). After receiving theread command, the external controller 130 issues 520 a read command(e.g. via the device-side NAND interface 142) to the NAND device 120A.Again, the command is issued according to the NAND interface protocol,including command bytes and address bytes. In step 530 the NAND flashstorage device 120A retrieves the requested data from the non-volatilecells array, where the host data is accompanied by the ECC parity bitscalculated when the data had been stored. In step 540 the data bytes andthe accompanying parity bits are sent to the external NAND controller.This sending is done according to the NAND interface protocol by aseries of read strobes generated by the controller, each sequentiallyreading into the controller one byte or one word (depending on whetherthe NAND interface used is 8 bits wide or 16 bits wide). In step 550 theexternal NAND controller 130 uses the parity bits for correcting errorsin the data bytes (e.g. with the ECC module 132). In step 560 thecorrected data bytes are sent to the host via the host side NANDinterface 144. The sending is again done according to the NAND interfaceprotocol by a series of read strobes generated by the host. The host110A now has the same data bytes it originally stored into the flashmemory.

It can now be seen that this invention allows one to benefit from thecost advantage of new NAND devices, while using a host processorincorporating a built-in NAND controller designed to support a previousgeneration of NAND devices;

In the description and claims of the present application, each of theverbs, “comprise” “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, are usedto indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily acomplete listing of members, components, elements or parts of thesubject or subjects of the verb.

The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions ofembodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. The described embodimentscomprise different features, not all of which are required in allembodiments of the invention. Some embodiments of the present inventionutilize only some of the features or possible combinations of thefeatures. Variations of embodiments of the present invention that aredescribed and embodiments of the present invention comprising differentcombinations of features noted in the described embodiments will occurto persons of the art.

1. A controller for interfacing between a host device and a flash memorydevice fabricated on a flash die, the controller comprising: a)electronic circuitry fabricated on a controller die, said controller diebeing distinct from the flash die; b) a first interface for interfacingbetween said electronic circuitry and the flash memory device; c) asecond interface for interfacing between the controller and the hostdevice, wherein said second interface is a NAND interface; d) an errorcorrection module for providing error correction for data receivedthrough one of said first and second interface; and e) an additionalfunctionality module.
 2. The controller of claim 1 wherein said firstinterface is a NAND interface.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The controller of claim1 further comprising: f) at least one additional host-side interface forinterfacing with the host device.
 5. A data storage system comprising:a) a flash memory device fabricated on a flash die; and b) thecontroller of claim 1, said controller being operative to communicatewith said flash memory device through said first interface.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5 further comprising: c) a common packaging, whereinsaid flash memory device and said controller are both provided withinsaid common packaging.
 7. The system of claim 5 further comprising: c)separate respective packagings, wherein each of said flash memory deviceand said controller is provided within a respective said packaging. 8.The system of claim 5 further comprising c) a printed circuit board onwhich said flash memory device and said controller are mounted, whereinsaid flash die is directly mounted on said printed circuit board.
 9. Thesystem of claim 5 further comprising c) a printed circuit board on whichsaid flash memory device and said controller are mounted, wherein saidcontroller die is directly mounted on said printed circuit board.
 10. Adata storage system comprising: a) a host device; b) a flash memorydevice fabricated on a flash die; and c) the controller of claim 1operative to communicate with both said flash memory device through saidfirst interface and with said host device through said second interface.11. A method of creating a data storage system, the method comprising:a) providing a flash memory device fabricated on a flash die; b)providing the flash controller of claim 1; c) deploying said flashcontroller to said flash memory device such that said flash controlleris operative to communicate with said flash memory device through saidfirst interface.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising: d)packaging said flash controller and said flash memory device within asingle package.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein said flash memorydevice and said flash controller reside within separate respectivepackages, and said deploying includes engaging said respective packagesto each other.
 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising d) mountingsaid flash memory device and said controller onto a printed circuitboard, wherein said mounting includes directly mounting said flashmemory die onto said printed circuit board.
 15. The method of claim 11further comprising d) mounting said flash memory device and saidcontroller onto a printed circuit board, wherein said mounting includesdirectly mounting said controller die onto said printed circuit board.16. The method of claim 11 further comprising: d) deploying the datastorage system to a host device such that said flash controller isoperative to communicate with said host device through said secondinterface.
 17. A method of writing data from a host device, the methodcomprising: a) providing a flash memory device fabricated on a flash dieand a controller fabricated on a controller die, said flash die beingdistinct from said controller die; b) issuing a write command from thehost device to the controller according to a NAND interface protocol; c)issuing a write command from the controller to the flash memory deviceaccording to a NAND interface protocol; d) calculating parity bits withthe controller; and e) performing a function with an additionalfunctionality module of the controller.
 18. (canceled)
 19. A method ofreading data to a host device, the method comprising: a) providing aflash memory device fabricated on a flash die and a controllerfabricated on a controller die, said flash die being distinct from saidcontroller die; b) issuing a read command from the host device to thecontroller according to a NAND interface protocol; c) issuing a readcommand from the controller to the flash memory device according to aNAND interface protocol; d) retrieving the data from the flash memorydevice to the controller; e) retrieving parity bits associated with saidretrieved data from the flash memory device to the controller; f)correcting said retrieved data according to said retrieved parity bits,thereby generating corrected data; g) retrieving said corrected datafrom the controller to the host device; and h) performing a functionwith an additional functionality module of the controller. 20.(canceled)